Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to wooden blocks. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to wooden blocks having internally disposed permanent magnets.
Background
Blocks are one of the quintessential toys that have been around for generations. Over the years, blocks have been made of wood, various plastics, and assorted other materials. Traditional blocks are merely geometric shapes that can be stacked or arranged to build things without any real interconnection between the blocks. These traditional blocks rely on influence of gravity to maintain a position within the structure. Many structures are impossible to build with such blocks. Other block-like toys, such as LEGO® have a mechanical interconnection which allows user to build more complex structures. To address some of the limitations of blocks, efforts have been made to introduce magnets into blocks so that magnetic coupling is possible between adjacent blocks in a structure. Introduction of these magnets is relatively simple and cost effective where underlying material used is extrudable, such as in the context of plastic blocks. However, in this case of non-extrudable materials, such as wood, the techniques used with extrudable materials do not apply.